The Filip is a smart locator and phone for kids that offers a new way for parents and children to stay in touch.

The Filip is a smart locator and phone for kids that offers a new way for parents and children to stay in touch.

Photo: FiLIP Technologies Inc.

Smart-watch companies try focusing on children

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

With smart watches drawing lukewarm interest from consumers, some technology companies are trying a fresh approach: Market them to kids.

LG Electronics Inc., VTech Holdings Ltd. and Filip Technologies Inc. have all developed high-tech watches for children, undaunted by the slow progress the industry has made in pitching the devices to adults. They're betting that kids may be the ideal market for the gadgets, which can either keep tykes entertained or track their whereabouts. The watches can even teach a more old-fashioned skill: how to tell time.

Cheaper for kids

While only about 1 in 5 grown-ups has interest in buying a smart watch, kids' models might be an easier sell, said Benjamin Arnold, an analyst at NPD Group Inc. They're typically cheaper, for one. And versions that can track children have obvious appeal to parents, who live in fear of losing small kids at a park or shopping mall. At the same time, the technology has drawn criticism for adding yet another electronic distraction.

VTech's Kidizoom smart watch, which goes on sale in the U.S. this month, is designed to entertain kids without being overwhelming. The $60 device doesn't connect to Wi-Fi or cellular networks, and there's only a limited number of applications. That puts it in a different category than devices from Samsung Electronics Co. or Apple Inc., which is said to be working on a smart watch.

Keeping it simple

The idea was to make something that's easy for a child to use, especially for taking photos or videos, said William To, president of North America for Hong Kong's VTech.

"This is purely designed for the child's fun," he said. "It's educational, wholesome play."

Other companies are focused more on the communication and location-tracking features than entertainment. LG is debuting a watch called the KizOn in its home country of South Korea this month.

The device, aimed at preschool and grade-school kids, uses the global positioning system and Wi-Fi to pinpoint the wearer's whereabouts. It's due to be unveiled in the U.S. and Europe this year at an undetermined price.

"Children as well as the elderly are ideal customers for wearable technologies," Jong-seok Park, head of LG's Mobile Communications Co., said in a statement. "Wearables allow us to stay connected without the worry of losing a device or the inconvenience of having to carry a large item in a pocket."

Filip's strategy

LG is targeting a market pioneered by Filip, a company founded in 2010 by Sten Kirkbak after he lost track of his son at the mall.

Parents can program five contacts into the Filip watch, and an accompanying iOS or Android app on the parent's phone can locate the child. Like the KizOn, which also can call preconfigured numbers, the device doesn't give kids the full capabilities of a regular phone.

"If you look at the entire population - the one group that is not connected today is kids," said Jonathan Peachey, chief executive officer of New York's Filip. "That's crazy. Kids want to go out and explore, be with friends, and travel to and from school on their own without having to worry about how to reach their parents."

Serving a purpose

Parents see a clear need for the Filip, while consumers are confused about the purpose of an adult smart watch, Peachey said. "There are probably no parents who haven't experienced losing track of their child," he said.

The capabilities of the Filip come at a price, though. It costs $200, plus $10 per month for the service. That puts it in the same ballpark as a Samsung smart watch, which can retail for $200 to $300. The Kidizoom, since it lacks a mobile connection, doesn't have a recurring fee. Future generations of the VTech watch could add more features depending on demand, the company said.

Mom unimpressed

Amy Stellitano, a 37-year-old nurse from New York, is one mom who doesn't plan to buy an entertainment-based smart watch. Her 16-year-old son has enough electronics as it is, she said.

"It's just one more thing," Stellitano said while shopping at a Best Buy Co. store. "When I grew up, we didn't have all this stuff."

A device focused on location tracking may have been appealing when her son was younger, though, she said. "Because you never know, especially in New York."

As of last month, revenue from smart watches has totaled less than $100 million since October 2013, though the market is expected to get larger this year, according to NPD.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.